Meta-Motivations to Commit in the Hong Kong Financial Service Sector: From a Reversal Theory Perspective

The financial service sector in Hong Kong is known for its long working hours and poor work life balance. Despite these stressors, statistics show gradual increases in the employment rate in the sector. Aiming to understand the motivations of employees to join, thrive, and commit at work, this paper explores these motivations according to reversal theory, which emphasizes the inconsistency and changeability of motivation and experience. We introduce principal concepts of the theory, including meta-motivational states, reversals between modes, focality,and dominance. We conducted 14 semi-structured interviews and recorded the nature of meta-motivational reversals and other factors that influenced changes of motivations among respondents. We found that multiple states can account for one’s job choice and that dynamic experience could drive different motivational changes, eventually affecting employees’ work behavior. The relevance and applicability of reversal theory in formulating employee strategies in the Hong Kong financial service sector are then discussed. We evaluate the theory and highlight future directions for studying the reversal process and cultural impacts on work motivations.